Completely Conspicuous 628: 2023 and Me

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Listen to the episode below (or download directly).

Show notes:

• We're in there like swimwear
• On to the top 10 lists
• Breitling's #10: Return to from by Fog Lake
• Breitling's #9: Frog's new release unexpectedly has received critical praise 
• Kumar's #9: Another consistenly great album from Protomartyr
• Breitling's #8: Minimalist excellence from Colleen that tests Jay's French pronunciation skills
• Kumar's #8: After an 11-year absence, the Hives' formula de rock still kicks ass in 2023
• Breitling's #7 and Kumar's #10: Yo La Tengo still bringing the heat, opening the album with 7-minute feedback-laden ripper
• Kumar's #7 and Breitling's #6: Supergroup is actually super, Voltroning into a monster act
• Kumar's #6: Return of the rock with Queens of the Stone Age, chock full o' bangers from a super-tight band
• Breitling's #5: Philly represent with Golden Apples dropping indie pop/rock with the fuzz bass and some wooder ice
• Kumar's #5: SF's Pardoner brings an assortment of guitar sounds from the last 50 years to their latest slack masterpiece
• The '90s sound (and look) is still thriving
• Breitling's #4: More of the Philly goodness with Purling Hiss with the lo-fi hooky guitar rock
• Kumar's #4: Indie power-pop supergroup Eyelids delivers the super-catchy goods
• Breilting's #3: Bay Area shoegaze concern Blue Ocean returns with a weird and rewarding album
• Kumar's #3: Sharp, concise indie post-punk from Kansas-via-Boston act Sweeping Promises  
• Breitling's #2: Ohio-based indie act Connections connects with melodic rockers; RIYL GBV, Feelies
• Kumar's #2: New Zealand post-punk that smashes through with punchy, catchy rippers
• Breitling's #1: Long-awaited reunion album from American shoegaze icons Drop Nineteens does not disappoint
• Kumar's #1: Going into Hellmode with Jeff Rosenstock, who has been consistently releasing excellent albums for the last several years; additional layers of maturity and depth make this release all the more satisfying 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 627: The Year in Music, Let It Bleed Edition

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Recorded at Clicky Clicky HQ
• The 14th year of "Year in Music" episodes
• Taylor Swift is big, but not bigger than Starbucks
• Breitling making fun of Croz
• Perfect synergy: The Stones tour sponsored by AARP
• Hall v. Oates
• KISS passes the torch to digital avatars of themselves
• The "new" old Beatles song
• Check it out on the YouthTube
• Spotify blows
• The kids love the streaming and whatnot
• Check out Parcheesi Redux Tuesday and Thursday on Mixcloud
• Also check out Brad Searles' show The Almanac on the first Wednesday of every month
• Shout out to the Rollins Archive
• Breitling's honorable mentions: Ted Pauly, Everything But the Girl, Cupid and Psyche, Everasting and Zilla, Superchunk
• Kumar's honorable mentions: Pile, Model/Actriz, Yves Tumor, Fucked Up, Shame, PJ Harvey, Peter Gabriel, Marnie Stern, Replacements' "Tim" reissue, Breeders' Last Splash reissue, Feelies live album of VU covers
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 626: Entertain

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2005. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: New Pornographers with another all-star power pop classic
• Phil's #5: Early '70s singer-songwriter jams from Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
• Still in the era of artists putting out overlong albums
• Jay's #3: Spoon expands their sound, grows their popularity
• Phil's #3: A powerful R&B belter from Sharon Jones
• Jay's #2: Queens of the Stone Age with a punchy follow-up to a monster hit
• Phil's #2: Beck with an Odelay-esque release with a nod to Latin music
• Phil's #1 and Jay's #4: Sleater-Kinney drops a monster rock album 
• Jay's #1: Another winner from The Hold Steady, blending big riffs and nerdy scenester tales
• Jay makes a Rush joke
• Favorite songs: "Jumpers" (Phil), "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian. 

Completely Conspicuous 625: Road to Joy

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2005. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2005, Jay was dealing with tiny children while Phil was newly married
• Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Pink Floyd briefly reunited
• Jay: Listened to a lot of songs via MP3 blogs
• Jay's non-top 5s: White Stripes, Black Mountain, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Wolf Parade, Against Me!
• Phil's non-top 5s: Sufjan Stevens, Son Volt, Bright Eyes, Neil Young, Trey Anastasio, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Southern Culture on the Skids, North Mississippi All-Stars
• Random cocaine references 
• Wilco with a good live album
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 624: Positive Jam

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2004. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Phil's #5: Arcade Fire with a rousing debut about suburbia
• Jay's #5: First album from Mission of Burma in 19 years kicks serious butt
• Phil's #4: The last U2 album Phil enjoyed
• Zebra once opened for their Zeppelin cover band
• Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Drive-By Truckers unleash another powerful concept album about the South
• Phil's #2: Brian WIlson finally releases unreleased epic album Smile
• The Beach Boys went from "America's Beatles" to an oldies joke band
• Jay's #2: Another excellent album from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
• Jay's #1: Debut from the Hold Steady combines '70s riffs with indie rock
• Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Mark Lanegan with a world-weary masterpiece with a little help from his friends
• Favorite songs: "Hit the City" (Phil), "Positive Jam" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian. 

Completely Conspicuous 623: Take Me Out

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2004. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2004, Jay became a father for the second time, was a diaper-changing machine
• Phil got married, saw the Red Sox and Patriots become champions
• Jay: Got an iPod, downloaded a ton of music
• Pixies reunited, Phish broke up
• Many bands take hiatuses
• The tale of Mr. Jimmy
• William Hung becomes famous
• Phil's non-top 5s: Wilco, Black Keys, Beastie Boys, Patterson Hood, Umphrey's McGee, the Killers, Green Day, Twilight Singers, Eagles of Death Metal, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, TV On the Radio, Tragically Hip 
• Phil invents new words
• Green Day rejuvenates itself
• Jay's non-top 5s: The Walkmen, Death From Above 1979
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 622: The Hardest Button to Button

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2003. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Phil's #5: Raucous debut from NYC's Yeah Yeah Yeahs, featuring the electric Karen O
• Jay's #5: Radiohead combined electronic and guitar-driven sounds
• Radiohead albums kept leaking early on file-sharing networks
• Phil's #4: The Shins hone their super catchy pop sound
• Jay's #4: An indie rock gem from the Wrens that still awaits a follow-up
• 20 years of starts, stops, indecision and disagreements
• Phil's #3:My Morning Jacket combined indie rock, Southern rock, folk and jam band sounds
• MP3 blog bands abound
• Jay's #3: Another kickass release from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
• Leo is one of the great unsung artists of our generation
• Is Springsteen overrated?
• Phil's #2: Drive-By Truckers add Jason Isbell and step up their game
• Jay's #2: A departure for Sloan, but one jam-packed with great songs
• The only Sloan album without an Andrew Scott song
• Phil's #1: The White Stripes expand their sound and totally blow up
• The Stripes made a lot of noise with minimal instrumentation
• Jay's #1: Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers unleash a classic album as a tribute to late friend
• Favorite songs: "The Hardest Button to Button" (Phil), "Teenage Wristband" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 621: It's Gonna Be a Long Night

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2003. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2003, Jay had a toddler and found out another kid was on the way
• Started downloading a lot of music via blogs
• Jay saw Pat DiNizio, Gord Downie, Radiohead, Guster
• Phil got engaged, saw a lot of Red Sox games
• Coed softball struggles
• 50 Cent had the #1 song of the year
• A lot of number bands on the charts
• What's the deal with Kid Rock?
• Phil's non-top 5s: TV On the Radio, Warren Zevon, Jason Molina, Black Keys, Jet, Outkast, Ween, Lucinda Williams, Bowie
• Jay's non-top 5s: Gord Downie, Electric Six, Dizzee Rascal, Stephen Malkmus, Zeppelin
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 620: No One Knows

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2002. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Phil's #5: Coldplay's second album turned them into superstars
• Jay's #5: Spoon returns to an indie and begins a long stretch of excellence
• Phil's and Jay's #4: Strong release from the Tragically Hip highlights their varied strengths
• Phil's #2: The last great Foo Fighters album caused a lot of turmoil for the band
• Jay's #3 and Phil's #1: Beck with another sad bastard folk-rock masterpiece
• Jay's #2: Killer debut from Interpol was part of the hot NYC scene of the early '00s
• It's hard for some bands to live up to a great first album
• Phil's #3 and Jay's #1: Queens of the Stone Age reaches new heights with help from Dave Grohl on drums
• Favorite songs: "No One Knows" (Jay), "End of the Day" (Phil)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 619: Do You Realize?

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2002. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2002, Jay became a first-time dad and didn't get much sleep
  
• Jay turned 35, Phil turned 33
• Phil was newly single, met his current wife
• John Entwistle died the classic rock star death
• Napster officially called it quits after lawsuits
• Owning music is an outdated concept now
• Nickelback had the top song of the year
• Charts had a mixture of nu metal, hip hop and pop
• Phil's non-top 5 albums: Doves, Sleater-Kinney, Flaming Lips, Spoon, Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews Band, Interpol, Black Keys, Sonic Youth, GBV, Tom Petty, Bowie
• Jay's non-top 5s: McLusky, Hot Snakes, Trail of Dead, Elvis Costello, Broken Social Scene  
• We never saw a lot of the rock videos of this era
• This was the age of the MP3 blog    
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 618: You Say It's Your Birthday

Celebrating the podcast's 17th birthday by talking to Amanda Guest about the 10th birthday of the radio station she founded, BFF.fm. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Amanda was last on the podcast 10 years ago talking about moving to SF and launching BFF.fm
• Plenty of surprises along the way
• She was a DJ at the Salem State College (now University) station for 18 years
• Commercial radio was already being automated in the mid-'90s
• Built a studio in the Secret Alley in SF
• A lot of the DJs at BFF now weren't alive when Amanda was DJing in the '90s
• Shorter attention spans: Newer DJs are doing one-hour shows
• Jay has been doing a show for BFF since the station started
• "Where's Koomdogg?"
• Building exposure through a crazy boat DJing gig
• Became a nonprofit in 2015
• Amanda was hired as the GM of the station, now doing it full-time
• Went from dues-based organization to nonprofit
• Allows BFF to fundraise and get grants
• Celebrating the station's 10th birthday with events throughout the city
• Amanda plans to stay involved but wants to retire at some point
• SF went into COVID lockdown early and stayed in it the longest
• Studio had to shut down so BFF enabled DJs to broadcast from home
• Found free space in the SF Ferry Building so were able to broadcast from there
• The future of radio won't get less corporate
• Not a lot of commercial stations for indie music, except for college stations
• Amanda: Big electronic music movement happening in SF
• Looking for new music
• The DJ as curator
• BFF has 120 shows on the schedule, most done live in the studio
• Different approaches to show construction
• Great achievements in song segues
• Jay: Coming up on 500 episodes of the radio show

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 617: Let There Be Rock

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2001. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's non-top 5 albums: Von Bondies, Radiohead, Sloan, Frank Black & the Catholics, Guided By Voices, Fugazi
• The joy of shopping for imports
• Phil's #5: Great distillation of classic rock from Sweden's The Soundtrack of Our Lives
• Jay's #5: Indie folk-rock on first solo effort from Gord Downie includes spoken word
• Phil's #4 and Jay's #3: Breakthrough album from the White Stripes blew up several months after it came out
• Jay's #4: The Strokes led the return of guitar rock with a NYC-centric sound
• Highlighted in the book and documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom
• Phil's #3: Spoon with a strong release after getting dropped from a major 
• Phil's #2: Another great album after getting dropped came from Wilco
• Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: A masterful double album about the duality of the Southern thang by Drive-By Truckers
• Jay's #1: Impressive release from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists showcased a melding of diverse rock styles
• Favorite songs: "Timorous Me" (Jay), "Ronnie and Neil" (Phil)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 616: Imitation of Life

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2001. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2001, Jay found out he was going to be a dad and also went back to his old employer
  
• Jay turned 34, Phil turned 32
• Phil got divorced
• 9/11 was a defining generational moment
• Jay: Saw concerts by Radiohead, Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, PJ Harvey, Built to Spill, Buddy Guy
• Apple launched iTunes music store and the iPod
• Napster got sued into oblivion
• Pop was big but garage rock started getting popular
• Lifehouse had the #1 single of the year?
• Scott Stapp wrote a pump-up song for the Marlins
• Phil got recruited by a Scientologist
• Phil's non-top 5 albums: Gorillaz, R.E.M., DMB, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Fugazi, Stephen Malkmus, Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan 
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 615: All Killer, No Filler

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Running down our favorite albums of the year so far
• Kumar's #10: Pile diversifies its sound
• Breitling's #9 and Kumar's #8: Yo La Tengo keeps on Yo La Tengoing 
• Kumar's #9: Dangerous sounding debut from Model/Actriz
• Breitling's #8: Continued excellence from Protomartyr
• Kumar's #7: Excellent third release from Washer, giving off Meat Puppets vibe
• Another great act on Exploding In Sound
• Breitling's #7: Fog Lake returns with a compelling slowcore release; may or may not be Shady Canadians
• Breitling's #10 and Kumar's #6: Perennially pissed off hip hop from UK Grim
  
• Breitling's #6: Lo-fi folk rock stalwarts Hands and Knees return with a strong release
• Kumar's #5: Yves Tumor mixes shoegaze, alt-rock and funk into a powerful concoction
• Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #4: Legit supergroup Boygenius delivers the goods
• Breitling's #4: Bully with another excellent rock album
• Tom Cavanaugh tangent time
• Kumar's #3: Catchy hardcore from Fucked Up represents a more spontaneous recording process
• Breitling's #3: Quick collection of rippers from New Zealand's Guardian Singles
• Kumar's #2: UK act Shame pushes out of their post-punk comfort zone
• Breitling's #2: Going back to Philly with Purling Hiss, bringing hooks and attitude to the party
• Kumar's #1: Power pop awesomeness from the indie all-star band that is Eyelids
• Breitling's #1: Jangly indie pop straight outta Columbus with Connections
• Kurt Loder tangent 
• Anticipated/newer albums: Drop Nineteens, Speedy Ortiz, Palehound, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Jason Isbell, Jeff Rosenstock, OSees, Blur 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 614: The Midway Point

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Recorded at CompCon HQ
  
• Concerts are back
• TicketMaster is still a mess
• Nobody's buying CDs
• The Beatles and AI
• Parcheesi Redux is in its third year
• Talking about the band Toronto and their hit "Your Daddy Don't Know," covered by the New Pornographers
• The kids are alright
• Rock music is still around, although it's a minor part of the music business
• Breitling's bubbling under albums: Everything But the Girl; Depeche Mode; Sharp Pins; OK Cool; Reds, Pinks and Purples; Pile; Squitch; Mui Zyu
• Jay's bubbling unders: The Hold Steady; The New Pornographers; Ron Gallo; Quasi; Mudhoney
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 613: Stuck In a Moment

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2000. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's non-top 5 picks: Hot Snakes, Rollins Band, Fu Manchu, Pearl Jam
• Phil's and Jay's #5: Diverse offering from the Tragically Hip
• Phil's and Jay's #4: More accessible effort about living in NYC by PJ Harvey
• Phil's #3: Bluesy debut album from North Mississippi All-Stars
• Jay's #3: Electrifying major-label debut from At the Drive-In
• Featured in Dan Ozzi's book Sellout about indie acts who sign with majors
• Phil's #2: Phish blends some different styles into their jam band formula
• Jay's #2: Queens of the Stone Age's second album takes a big leap onto the rock scene
• Phil's #1: U2 bounces back with a back-to-basics release
• Phil: Feeling down about what was once his favorite band
• How bands age 
• The last really good U2 album
• Jay's #1: Radiohead totally reinvents their sound, embracing electronics
• Phil's not feeling it
• Favorite songs: "Optimistic" (Jay), "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Phil) 

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 612: In the Year 2000

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2000. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In 2000, Jay got married
• Jay turned 33, Phil turned 31
• Jay: Went to SXSW, saw Modest Mouse, Fu Manchu, Bevis Frond
• Pivotal year for the dot-com boom
  
• Albums were leaking on Napster before they came out
• A better year than '99 in terms of stuff we liked
• Top 100 songs were predominantly pop
• Phil's non-top 5s: Ween, Sleater-Kinney, Outkast, White Stripes, Rage Against the Machine, Ryan Adams, New Pornographers, Doves, Neil Young, Steely Dan, the Hives 
• Phil's out on runs scaring old ladies 
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 611: Climb to Safety

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's non-top 5s: Frank Black and the Catholics, Sebadoh, Matthew Sweet, Piebald, Fu Manchu, Superchunk, Songs: Ohia, GBV
  
• Phil's #5: Third release from Rage Against the Machine continues their anti-capitalist bent
• Jay's #5: Flaming Lips complete their transformation into a different sound
• Phil's #4: Dave Grohl continues to fight Foo and get more commercial-sounding
• Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Built to Spill with the triumphant peak of their terrific '90s run 
• Jay's #3: The final Pavement album has only gotten better with age
• Phil's #2: Debut of Rilo Kiley was financed by Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall
• Jay's #2: Beck gets funky, continuing extreme genre shifts from album to album
• Phil's #1: Widespread Panic melds a lot of styles in a listener-friendly jam album
• Jay's #1: Back-to-back #1s from Sloan with a semi-autobiographical masterpiece
  
• Favorite songs: "Climb to Safety" (Phil); "Friendship" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 610: End of the Century

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click or "save as").

Show notes:

• In '99, Jay turned 32, Phil turned 30
• Y2K was looming
• Phil got married, Jay got engaged
• Ireland on New Year's Eve
• Pop was on the upswing
• Nu metal and Woodstock 99
• Music sales were high, but MP3s were about to take a big bite
• Santana made a huge comeback
• Phil's non top 5 albums: Magnolia soundtrack, Sleater-Kinney, White Stripes, Wilco, Sheila Divine, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Moby, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 
• The pickings were slim overall in '99
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 609: Right About Now

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1998. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• More of Phil's non-top 5s: Monster Magnet, R.E.M., Hole, Dave Matthews Band
• Jay's non-top 5s: Tragically Hip, Monster Magnet, Jerry Cantrell, Frank Black and the Catholics, Beastie Boys, Rocket From the Crypt, Rancid, Cat Power
  
• Phil tells of a magical mixtape service
• Phil's #5: Moe with a jazzy jam band album
• Phil says he's not a "Moe-ron"
• Not hating on Steely Dan
• Jay's #5: Silver Jews with downbeat indie rock classic
  
• Phil's #4 and Jay's #2: The debut from Queens of the Stone Age kicks serious ass, combining stoner rock with robotic grooves
• Jay's #4: Followed up Odelay with the experimental Mutations
• Phil's #3: A fun release from the Beastie Boys
• Jay's #3: R&B-influenced album from Afghan Whigs was last before they broke up
• Phil's #2: Phish's 7th album featured a "cow funk" sound
• Phil's #1: Big breakthrough from Fatboy Slim paved the way for DJ as frontman
• Jay's #1: Sloan with a '70s vibe, from arena rockers to sunny AM pop
• Favorite songs: "Praise You" (Phil), "She Says What She Means" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 608: Tubthumping

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1998. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• 1998 was 25 years ago!
• Jay turned 31, Phil turned 29
• The one-hit wonders were abundant
• Alt-rock was fading in popularity
• MTV was predominantly airing programming that wasn't videos
• MP3s became another way to share/steal music
• Paved the way for Napster and eventually the near-collapse of the music industry
• Pop was taking over: Britney, Backstreet Boys, N Sync
• Artists who started out great and then just sold out/sucked
• Phil's non-top 5's: PJ Harvey, Mercury Rev, Drive-By Truckers, Pearl Jam, Government Mule, Mark Lanegan, Jerry Cantrell, Tragically Hip, Neutral Milk Hotel 
• The Hip played at Woodstock '99 (correction: it was the weekend after JFK Jr.'s plane crash)
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 607: My Poor Brain

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1997. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's non-top 5 albums: Cornershop, Yo La Tengo, Elliott Smith, Chris Whitley, Portishead, Ween
• Phil's #5 and Jay's #4: Ben Folds Five's breakthrough with piano-driven snark
• Phil's #4: Third album from Sleater-Kinney features Janet Weiss' debut on drums
• Phil's #3: Elliott Smith's lo-fi folk got a boost from Good Will Hunting
• Jay's #3: Built to Spill with another of their epic '90s releases
• Phil's #2: Dylan makes a triumphant return
• When artists stop writing new material 
• Jay's #2: A masterful release from Pavement
• Phil's #1 and Jay's #5; Second Foo Fighters album establishes Grohl and his band as a musical force
• Jay's #1: Radiohead reaches new heights on its third album
• How Jay learned to love Radiohead
• Favorite songs: "My Poor Brain" (Phil), "Karma Police" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 606: Brighten the Corners

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1997. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• In '97, Jay hit the big 3-0, Phil turned 28
• Big year for partying
  
• Alt-rock one-hit wonders abounded: Marcy Playground, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth
  
• Boy bands, hip hop, female singer-songwriters
• Phil's "bubbling under" albums: U2, Led Zeppelin, Bjork, Bowie, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Guided By Voices, Whiskeytown, Steve Earle, Prodigy, Radiohead, David Byrne 
  
• U2 lost the plot with "Pop"
• The interesting career of David Byrne
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 605: Playing the Role

This week, I'm joined by guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the resurgence of role-playing games. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded in Salem, Mass.

- Last time we recorded for the show was two years ago

- Time is passing quickly

- Jay: Going into the office once a week now

- Matt: It was an extrovert's world for a long time

- Matt's still writing YA books

- Matt has been running Dungeons & Dragons games since pandemic started

- Unprepared for the number of people who wanted to jump in

- Matt: Didn't have enough friends to play in high school

- Was going to start doing it for corporate retreats when COVID hit

- A legal dispute over licensing with Hasbro

- Jay: Was a total comics nerd in high school

- D&D made a comeback thanks to Stranger Things

- A D&D movie is coming out with Chris Pine

- Tom Hanks starred in Mazes & Monsters, a "Satanic panic" movie about D&D

- Stopped buying comics when there were bills to pay

- Matt: Plenty of non-D&D role-playing games are popular

- Played Vampire: The Masquerade in the '90s

- Matt does a podcast called The Ravenfolly Institute that follows D&D campaigns as they happen

- Matt's super-productive in his spare time

- Working on an "adult" gritty fantasy book

- Book industry is in "dire need of reform"

- The first of Matt's books is getting an audiobook

- Struggling to get through Dune (the book)

- Matt's learning how to play a Dune role-playing game

- Listens to a lot of RPG podcasts; helps you learn the game

- D&D has had peaks and valleys of popularity since the mid-70s

- On its 5th edition; went back to older style but streamlined

- The stigma of being a nerd is gone now

- Board games in general have become popular again

- You get what you put into playing RPGs

- A lot of mystery-themed games

- Matt: Storytelling is storytelling, whether it's books or RPGs or podcasts

- Matt's the D&Dealer

- Gotta have the "math rocks"

 - Also does sister podcast Characters & Class

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 604: New Pollution

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1996. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Phil's #5: Cowboy Junkies score with their first album of originals

- Jay's #5: Sebadoh with a sprawling collection of rockers and ballads

- Phil's #4: Soundgarden's last album of the '90s turned away from their big hit

- Jay's #4: Frank Black with another album of quirky greatness

- Phil's #3: Phish with a fan-friendly studio release

- Jay's #3: Cinematic-sounding crime saga from the Afghan Whigs

- Phil's #2: Double album that was the breakthrough for Wilco

- Jay's #2: After a brief breakup, Sloan comes back with a power pop classic

- Phil's and Jay's #1: Beck blows up with a spectacular album that explores multiple genres

- Favorite songs: "New Pollution" (Phil), "G Turns to D" (Jay)

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 603: Bulls On Parade

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1996. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- In '96, Jay turned 29, Phil turned 27

- Days of little to no responsibility other than work

- Adventures in sports gambling

- Tougher year to come up with top 5

- The Macarena was all the rage

- Phil's non-top 5s: Rage Against the Machine, Fiona Apple, Sleater-Kinney, Tragically Hip, Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Moe, Tracy Bonham, Luscious Jackson, Sublime, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, Tom Petty, Tori Amos, Cake, Silver Jews

- Rolling Stone lists are sheer clickbait

- Jay's non-top 5s:  Soundgarden, Superdrag, Posies, D Generation, Weezer, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

- To be continued

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 602: Best In Show

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite music of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- On to our top 10

- Breitling's #10: Archers of Loaf returns with a different sounding release

- Kumar's #10: Fontaines D.C. evolves its sound

- Breitling's and Kumar's #9: Radiohead offshoot The Smile with an interesting return to early '00s sound

- Breitling's #8: Pleasant surprise album from Palm

- Breitling's #7: First Sub Pop album from Frankie Cosmos

- Bernice taking over the couch

- Breitling's #6: Shimmering pop brilliance from The Beths

- Kumar's #6: A nostalgic rocker from Oceanator

- Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #7: Horsegirl bursts out of nowhere with a lo-fi banger of a debut

- Kumar's #5: Another strong release from Toronto's Kiwi Jr.

- Breitling's #4 and Kumar's #8: Harking back to '85, band full of DC punk vets lands a massive post-hardcore statement

- Kumar's #4: Triumphant return by Titus Andronicus overcoming setbacks

- Breitling's #3: METZ side project Weird Nightmare is "peak Jay (Breitling)"

- Kumar's #3: Afghan Whigs combines old collaborations with new sounds

- Breitling's #2: A "modern shoegaze classic" from Helens

- Kumar's #2: Sloan delivers another classic power pop album that they developed during the pandemic

- Breitling's #1: Side project from Johnny Foreigner principals as Yr Poetry

- Kumar's #1: Smart-ass and cynical look at being in an band from PUP

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.